Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) on Monday announced $25 million in funding to repair homes devastated by Hurricane Ian — an action that follows President Biden’s FEMA reportedly denying the state’s funding request.
DeSantis announced a series of actions the state has taken in the wake of Hurricane Ian, the devastating Category 4 storm that battered the west coast of the state, during the press conference, including what he described as a “state led housing initiative to provide travel trailers and recreational vehicles to impacted Floridians who may not be eligible for FEMA’s direct housing program.”
“Not only do we think that that would be filling a need, but we also think we can do it quicker and more efficiently than FEMA,” he explained, also highlighting the launch of the Unite Florida Recovery Portal — a “one stop shop where impacted Floridians can apply for state housing program as well as report other end needs, including transportation and food assistance.”
The governor said over 2,000 people have applied for assistance in the last two weeks, “including 1,500 housing applicants.” This is significant, DeSantis said, adding that his administration “got word last week from that FEMA had denied our request for funding, our state led housing initiative, citing their quote ‘limited authority.'”
“But we’re not just gonna sit there and take no for an answer,” he said, highlighting the state’s desire to “cut through bureaucracy”:
"We're not just gonna sit there and take no for an answer […] We're gonna figure out what we can do […] We wanna cut through bureaucracy." pic.twitter.com/NmgwV9RGnc
— Florida’s Voice (@FLVoiceNews) December 5, 2022
“We want to bring relief to impacted Floridians regardless of whether FEMA wants to be a part of that. So today I’m announcing Florida will be providing up to $25 million through state funds to purchase building materials and provide those materials to verified nonprofit organizations to restore damaged homes to livable conditions so that Floridians can move back into their own homes,” DeSantis announced, listing some of the materials that will include.
The governor and first lady Casey DeSantis also announced $35.2 million “to support the state’s home repair program and to continue to support the fulfillment of unmet needs through the Florida Disaster Fund,” which has raised over $57 million.
“She started it before the storm had even hit that weekend before it hit,” DeSantis said of his wife’s efforts, praising its “enormous success.”
“We’ve been able to do already $8 million dollars to different organizations, including the first responders and teachers and all this stuff,” he added.
WATCH the full presser below:
The announcement follows the state’s rapid recovery in the wake of the devastating storm, which struck over a month out from Election Day. The DeSantis administration saw several victories in the wake of the storm, with tens of thousands of linemen quickly reinstating power and temporary roads and bridges repaired and constructed in damaged areas, restoring access to residents.
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